Distributing valve

ABSTRACT

In a servomotor comprising a boost piston whose movements depend on the working pressure of fluid contained in an actuating chamber, a distributing valve connected to a pressure source and to a reservoir is provided to control said working pressure. The valve consists of a slider which cooperates with an input control linkage and which comprises two annular bearing members axially separated and connected by a spacer, a valve sleeve mounted between the two bearing members and capable of movement relative to the slider and a spring biasing said sleeve in abutment with one of the bearing members.

United States Patent 1191 LeMarchand May 21, 1974 DISTRIBUTING VALVE 3,307,586 3/1967 'Meye'r 137/62569 3,310,068 3/1967 M G t 137/625.69 [75] Inventor A181" LeMarchand Domom, France 3,406,721 /1968 137/625.69 73 Assignee; S i Anonyme DB'A" p 3,596,871 8/1971 Rothrock 251/282 X France I Primary ExaminerAlan Cohan [22] May 1973 Assistant Examiner-Gerald A. Michalsky [21] Appl. No.: 364,177 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ken C. Decker; William N.

Antonis Foreign Application Priority Data June 12, 1972 France 72.21054 [57] ABSTRACT v In a servomotor comprising a boost piston whose [52] US. Cl. 137/625.68, 137/62569 movements depend on the working pressure f fl id [51] Int. Cl FlSb 13/04 contained in an actuating chamber, a distributing [58] Field of Search..... 137/62567, 625.68, 625.69; valve connected to a pressure Source and to a reser 251/77, 791 3241 325 voir is provided to control said working pressure. The valve consists of a slider which cooperates with an References Clted input control linkage and which comprises two annu- UNITED STATES PATENTS lar bearing members axially separated and connected 3,255,777 6/1966 Rice et a1 137/625.68 y a Spacer, a valve Sleeve mounted between the two 2,717,003 9/1955 Jay et a1 251/282 X bearing members and capable of movement relative to 2,703,217 3/1955 Ashton et a1. 251/282 the slider and a spring biasing said sleeve in abutment 3,004,556 10/1961 Humery 137/625.68 with one of the bearing members, 3,207,177 9/1965 Nevulis 251/282 X 3,240,231 3 19 6 6 Cadiou 137/625.67 3 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure 1 DISTRIBUTING VALVE The invention relates to a distributing valve suitable particularly for controlling the fluid pressure in the actuating chamber of a brake-assisting servo motor for a motor vehicle, according to the movements of input controlling means. I

According to the invention, the valve comprises a body whose bore slidably receives a movable assembly consisting of a slider, which cooperates with the input controlling means, said slider comprising two annular bearing members axially separated and connected by a spacer, and of a valve sleeve, said sleeve, capable of sliding in the bore in a fluid-tight manner, being mounted between the two bearing members and capable of movement relative to the slider, first resilient means biasing the valve sleeve into a position in which it abuts axially on the slider.

Compared with conventional sliding valves the particular structure of valves embodying the present invention obviates the need for the different bores in the valve slider, so substantially reducing its cost.

According to another feature of the invention, moreover, second resilient means bias the movable assembly into an idle limit position in which it abuts on the input controlling means, said controlling means in a fixed idle position, the second resilient means acting in the opposite direction form the first resilient means. This feature, as explained indetail in the description, prevents deterioration'of the valve or of its operating mechanism if the valve sleeve jams in its bore.

According to another secondary feature of the invention, the two bearing members are mounted in the bore in a fluid-tight manner so as to define therein a supply chamber connected to the actuating chamber of'the servomotor.

According to a further feature of. the invention, the valve also comprises a safety valve capable of disconnecting the supply chamber from the actuating chamber when the movement of the slider out of-itsidle position exceeds a predetermined value. This feature prevents an abrupt return of'pressure fluid to the actuating chamber in the event of unjamming of the distributing valve, as explained in detail in the ensuing description.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

The single FIGURE represents a longitudinal section through a servomotor and a distributing valve which embody the invention and which are used in a motor vehicle brake circuit.

The servomotor shown in the single FIGURE has a body containing two blind bores 12', 14, which in the embodiment illustrated are parallel. A piston 18 mounted in a fluid-tight manner in the bore 14 defines therein a pressure chamber 20 and an actuating'chamber 22 on opposite sides of the piston. The actuating chamber is closed with a cover l6-bolted on to the body 10. 1

The pressure chamber 20 is replenished with brake fluid through a tilting valve 24 connected to a reservoir (not shown) and it communicates with a first brake circuit through an outlet 26. A return spring 27 urges the piston into the position illustrated in the FIGURE. Persons skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the combination of the bore 14, piston 18 and replenishing valve 24 constitutes a conventional, well-known brake master-cylinder, which will not be described in detail.

The piston 18 contains a cavity 28 which gives on to the actuating chamber, and into which the inner end 32 of a push rod 30 projects. The push rod 30 can slide through the cover 16 in a fluid-tight manner, and in the embodiment illustrated it is coaxial with the piston 18.

The push rod is connected in conventional fashion tobores l2, 14. when the piston is in its idle position, the

bore 38 leads into the bore 14 between two sealing collars 40,- 42 on the piston 18. An annular space 44 between the collars 40, 42 is connected to the cavity 28 by a plurality of ports 46. According to a variant of the invention a seal may be provided on each collar.

Part of the end 32 contains ahelical groove 50 coaxial with the long axis of the'push rod 30. As the FIG- URE shows, the edges of this'slot are in contact with the surface of a cylindrical bore 52 formed in the end of the piston 18 and communicating with the cavity 28. The slotted portion 50 of the push rod and the surface 52 .in'the piston 18 together define a narrow passage along which fluid can pass between the cavity 28 and the actuating chamber'ZZ.

The supply of pressure fluid is by way of a-distributing valve mounted in the bore l2. The valve comprises a movable assembly 54 slidable in a tubular sheath 56 which is inside the bore 12 and which is fixed to the body 10. The provision of the sheath 56 between the movable assembly and the bore makes it possible to use appropriatematerials for these components and facilitates machiningof them, which is difficult due to' the strict manufacturing tolerances,

The movable assembly: 54 consists of a slider, comprising two annular bearing members 58, 60 connected by a spacer 62, and of a valve sleeve 64 mounted between the bearing members 58, 60. As the FIGURE shows, the sleeve, which is shorter than the gap between the bearing members 58, 60 and which can therefore move relative to the slider, is biased to abut axially on the bearing member 58 by a prestressed spring 80 abutting on'the bearing member 60.

The two bearing members 58, 60 and the sleeve 64 slide in a fluid-tight manner in the bore 66 inside the sheath 56, thereby defining between the two bearing members a supply chamber 68 which communicates with the bore 38,by way of ports 70 provided in the sheath 56. It should be noted that enough space is left between the inside surface of the sleeve 64 and the spacer to enable fluid to flow freely through the sleeve.

The spacer 62 is a tube on to which the bearing members 58, 60 are crimped. The passage 72 inside thetube permits communication between the actuating chamber 22 and the closed portion 74 of the bore 66. Because of this latter feature the slider is completely balancedin respect of the pressures to which it may be subjected.

A spring 76 bearing on the body 10 urges the slider into the idle position shown in the FIGURE, in which it bears on intake controlling means which forms part of a connecting mechanism 78 (described below). Taking the body as a fixed reference, the resilient forces of the two springs are opposite relative to the body.

The sheath 56 is also provided .with two annular spaces 82, 84 connected respectively by an outlet 86 and an inlet 88 to a reservoir (not shown) and to a pressure fluid source (not shown), for example an accumulator filled by a hydraulic pump driven by the vehicles engine. The spaces 82, 84 communicate with the supply chamber 68 by way of ports 90, 92 provided in the sheath 56. The length of the valve sleeve is such that it can cover the two ports very precisely. When'the sleeve is in its idle position, as shown in the FIGURE, slight leakage is permitted between the supply chamber 68 and outlet 86. To this end the bearing member 58 contains radial slots 94 enabling fluid to flow between the supply chamber 68 and port 90.

Finally, the sheath 56 is provided with seals on its exterior so that the various parts of the corresponding hydraulic circuit can be suitably isolated, as illustrated. Furthermore the bore 38 is closed with a plug 96, illustrated diagrammatically in the FIGURE.

The connecting mechanism 78, which is of the follower type, consists primarily of a lever 98 and of a double sensor 100 which is pivotable on 'a pin 102 fixed to one end of the lever 98. The other end of the lever 98 is pivotable on another pin 1'04 attached to a clevis 106, part of which is slidable in a blind bore 108 provided in the body parallel to the bore 12. A longitudinal bore in the clevis connects the bore 108 to the actuating chamber. A spring 110 biases the clevis 106 on to the cover 16 in a position such as that shown in the F IGURE..

The lever 98 cooperates with the push rod 30 by means of the following arrangement.

As the FIGURE shows, a slot 112 is provided in the push rod 30 between the extension 34 and the helical slot 50. The slot 112 runs longitudinally and passes diametrically through the rod 30. A pivot 114 mounted perpendicularly in the rod 30 contains a central groove to receive the lever 98. To summarize, the lever is introduced into the slot 112 and cooperates with the push rod 30 by way of the pivot 114. It should be noted that in the embodiment described herein and illustrated in the FIGURE the point of application A of the force transmitted by the push rod 30 is substantially halfway between the two pivot axes B, C of the pins 104, 102. Also, as explained in detail below, the axis B is capable under some circumstances of moving along a straight line 22' coplanar with the straight lines XX and YY', which are the axes of the bores 12 and 14, the line YY being situated between the other two.

The double sensor 100, seen from the side in the FIG- URE, is Y-shaped when viewed along the line XX. The base of the Y is a rocker 116 which cooperates by way ofa cam-forming surface 118 with the bearing member 60 of the movable assembly 54. The contour of the cam surface 118 is such that the point of contact D between the bearing member 60 and rocker 116 remains substantially on the axis XX during movements of the movable assembly. The two arms of the Y are formed by two other twin rockers 120 which pass round the push rod '30 and which cooperate by way of camforming surfaces 122 with an annular shoulder 124 on the end of the piston 18. The contours of the cam surfaces 122 are such that the perpendicular projection (represented by a point E) of the points of contact between the cam surfaces 122 and piston in the plane of the FIGURE remains substantially on the axis YY. This arrangement reduces very substantially the radial components occurring in the transmission of forces between the sensor 100, piston 18 and movable assembly 54. I

In conclusion, the actuating chamber 22 is connected by an orifice 126 to another independent brake circuit in the vehicle. By way of example, the actuating chamber may communicate with the brake circuit for the rear wheel brakes whereas the orifice 26 communicates with the brake circuit for the front wheel brakes of the vehicle. The arrangement may of course be reversed or changed. Moreover, according to a variant (not shown) of the invention, a conventional tandem mastercylinder may be mounted on the body 10 on the left in the FIGURE so that it can beoperated by the servo piston.

The servomotor described above operates as follows.

By depressing the brake pedal the driver moves the push rod 30 to the left in the FIGURE. The force exerted by the spring 110 is greaterthan that exerted by the springs 27 and 76, so that during assisted operation of the servomotor the pin 104 remains stationary relative to the body, in the position illustrated. Due to the action of the pushrod 30 the lever 98 pivots about the piont B. The piston 18 therefore moves slightly further into the bore 14, closing the tilting valve 24 and taking up the play in the front brake circuit associated with the outlet 26. As soon as the pressure in the chamber 20 becomes appreciable, the end 124 of the piston 18 on which the rockers 120 of the sensor 100 abut becomes fixed relative to the body. The force transmitted by the lever 98 to the point C now causes the rockers 120 to pivot about the piont E, and the movable assemb1y'54 shifts to the left in the FIGURE. Being resiliently connected by the spring 80, the valve sleeve 64 also moves to the left in the FIGURE, closing the port and opening the port 92. The pressure fluid flows into the supply chamber 68 and then enters the actuating chamber by way of the bore 38, ports 46, cavity 28 and narrow passage 50. From the actuating chamber the fluid also supplies the rear brake circuit associated with the orifice 126. The presence of-the narrow-passage 50 creates a pressure difference between the cavity 28 and actuating chamber 22, which will be discussed in detail below. Nevertheless the pressure rise in the actuating chamber and urges the piston to the left inthe FIG- URE. The double sensor now pivots anticlockwise due to the effect of the spring 76, the cam surfaces 122 still bearing on the piston 18. The movable assembly 54 therefore moves to the right in the FIGURE until it reaches an equilibrium position in which the valve sleeve closes the inlet port 92 and outlet port 90, and the point D moves slightly to the left in the FIGURE along the axis XX. In the embodiment illustrated, this movement is of the order of 1mm. The pressure now prevailing in the chamber is an equilibrium pressure which, acting on the effective cross-section of the, rod 30, generates a proportionate reaction force at the pedal. Assuming that due to operation of the brake pedal the point A has moved a distance L in the direction YY', the point C is thereforemoved a distance of about 2 L parallel to this line (taking the circular are centered on B as identical to its tangent WW). On the other hand, since the point D has remained substantially stationary relative to its idle position (moving 1 mm to the left), the point E has shifted about 2 X 2 L along the axis YY as the lines XX" and YY, due to the design, are symmetrical relative to the line WW.

To summarize, for a movement L of the push rod 30, the movement of the piston is equal to K X K X L, K being the lever arm ratio BC/AB and K being the ratio of the distance from XX to YY to the distance from YY to WW. 1n the embodiment described, K and K are equal to 2, but within the scope of the invention the respective positions of the bores 12, 14 and 108 and the dimensions of the lever 98 and sensor 100 may be modified to give the stroke ratio desired by the user.

Between the idle position and the equilibrium position there is a transitory phenomenon due to the presence of the narrow passage 50 between the cavity 28 and actuating chamber 22. At the time of the pressure rise in the actuating chamber the pressure difference depends chiefly on the flow rate. The pressure in the cavity acts on the end of the piston 18 (by way of the damper 36) and on the push rod 30. The principal result is that a reaction at the brake pedal will be felt by the driver as soon as the distributing valve opens. This is because the reaction at the pedal is a function of the static pressure acting on the push rod 30 and of the dynamic pressure created by the rate of flow through the narrow passage 50.

This feature is very useful, particularly in heavy vehicles in which a substantial pressure rise in the brakes is obtainable only by means of a large fluid volume. 1n servomotors which do not have this dynamic reaction, the reaction at the pedal appears very abruptly and is the fiercer. the further the driver has to press his brake pedal.

It should also be noted that the pressure rise in the actuating chamber 22 is accompanied by corresponding movement of the piston 18 towards the left in the FIGURE, and that since the effective stroke of the piston 18 is greater than that of the rod 30 (four times in the present example), some or all of the helical groove 50 will emerge from the bore 52. The effective crosssection of the narrow passage therefore increases with the advance of the piston, so that the pressure rise in the chamber 22 is not much delayed. Also, in the embodiment illustrated, when the piston stroke is long enough (i.e., at the end of a braking period) the collar 42 covers the mouth ofthe bore 38 and the fluid enters the chamber 22 by way of the gap between the piston 18 and bore 14. the dimensions of these various components are of course specially adapted to the type of vehicle for which a brake-assisting servomotor embodying the invention is intended.

Furthermore. as indicated above, the pressure difference acts on the damper 36 as long as the dynamic pressure exists. The piston 18 will therefore be urged to the left of the FIGURE before the pressure in the chamber 22 is appreciable. As a result the closing motion of the distributing valve will be brought forward. Operation of the servomotor is then very smooth.

It should be also be noted that operation of the brake circuit associated with the orifice 126 is later than that ofthe circuit connected to the outlet 26. This latter feature can be profitably exploited by motor vehicle designers.

Failure of assisted braking occurs chiefly due to the following two causes: jamming of the valve sleeve in its v bore, and loss of pressure at the inlet 88 due to failure of the pressure source.

If the valve sleeve 64 jams in the bore at the start of or during braking, the force transmitted by the rocker 116 moves the bearing member 58 off the sleeve 64. Also, due to the combination of the force transmitted by the push rod 30 with the resilience of the springs 76 and 80 (now compressed), the clevis 106 is urged into the bore 108, compressing the spring 110. The pin 104 moves to the left in the FlGURE along the axis ZZ. The push rod 30 comes in contact with the damper 36 and so operates the piston 18, without any risk of damaging the valve or follower mechanism.

To prevent assisted braking from being resumed abruptly due to sudden freeing of the valve sleeve, the bearing member 60 is capable of closing the port 70 during unassisted operation of the piston 18. When the driver releases the brake pedal, of course, the various components of the servo motor return to the idle positions shown in the FIGURE, so that assisted braking is available next time the driver brakes.

1n the event of a hydraulic failure, unassisted operation takes place exactly as previously described. When the piston 18 is operated directly by the push rod 30, the ratio between the corresponding movements of these two components is equal to unity. The ratio of the push rod stroke to the piston stroke, which is onequarter during normal assisted operation of the servomotor described, therefore operation. I

Among other advantages of the distributing valve described above, it is pressure-balanced and therefore does not react appreciably 'on the rocker 116. Also, only the valve sleeve requires very accurate machining, as slight leakage between the bearing members 58, 60 and the surface of the bore 66 is acceptable'(and makes the risk of jamming of the movable assembly very small).

The invention is not restricted to the embodiment described, and in particular it covers variants (not shown having one of the following features:

The distributing valve is modified and may be used in increases for unassisted an open-centre hydraulic circuit, more particularly the power steering circuit of the vehicle. A port connected to the power steering control valve is provided between the ports and 92, a permanent pressure fluid con-' nection being provided between the inlet port 92 (connected to a hydraulic pump) and the power steering port.

1 claim:

1. In a fluid motor:

a housing defining a bore and a pressure chamber therewithin, said housing having an exhaust communicating said bore with a fluid reservoir, an inlet communicating said bore with a fluid pressure source, and an outlet communicating said bore to said pressure chamber;

valve means slidably mounted in said bore including a pair of bearing members slidable in said bore, a spacer separating said bearing members by a predetermined distance so that the corresponding facing ends of said bearing members define a compartment therebetween, a sleeve slidable in said bore within said compartment and movable within said bore to control fluid communication between said exhaust, said inlet, and said outlet, first resilient means disposed between the corresponding end of one of said bearing members and said sleeve yieldably urging the latter into engagement with the corresponding end of the other bearing member, and second resilient means disposed between the end of said bore and the opposite end of said other bearing member to yieldably urge said valve means to a released position in which said sleeve prevents communication through said inlet but vents said outlet to said exhaust; and

an input control element engaging the opposite end of said one bearing member to shift said valve means toward an actuated position wherein the sleeve prevents communication through said exhaust and permits communication between the inlet and outlet, said first resilient means yielding when the force applied to said one bearing member diameter portions of said conduit. 

1. In a fluid motor: a housing defining a bore and a pressure chamber therewithin, said housing having an exhaust communicating said bore with a fluid reservoir, an inlet communicating said bore with a fluid pressure source, and an outlet communicating said bore to said pressure chamber; valve means slidably mounted in said bore including a pair of bearing members slidable in said bore, a spacer separating said bearing members by a predetermined distance so that the corresponding facing ends of said bearing members define a compartment therebetween, a sleeve slidable in said bore within said compartment and movable within said bore to control fluid communication between said exhaust, said inlet, and said outlet, first resilient means disposed between the corresponding end of one of said bearing members and said sleeve yieldably urging the latter into engagement with the corresponding end of the other bearing member, and second resilient means disposed between the end of said bore and the opposite end of said other bearing member to yieldably urge said valve means to a released position in which said sleeve prevents communication through said inlet but vents said outlet to said exhaust; and an input control element engaging the opposite end of said one bearing member to shift said valve means toward an actuated position wherein the sleeve prevents communication through said exhaust and permits communication between the inlet and outlet, said first resilient means yielding when the force applied to said one bearing member by said input control element exceeds a predetermined amount to thereby move said bearing members and said spacer relative to said sleeve to a position in which said one bearing member closes said outlet.
 2. The invention of claim 1; and a passage communicating the compartment defined between the opposite end of the other bearing member and the end of the bore with said pressure chamber.
 3. The invention of claim 2: said spacer being a conduit defining said passage, said bearing members being received on smaller diameter portions of said conduit. 